Harvested my first strawberry on Wednesday. Not completely red. Debated whether to wait until the next day to pick, but decided I was not taking any chances with the birds, not with my very FIRST strawberry. Kept it out of my mouth long enough to take this photo.

Top photo: Fig tree. Bottom photo: Figs on tree.

My fig tree is doing beautiful things. There is a fruit at the base of nearly every leaf. I am sooooo looking forward to a few quarts of honey-sweet figs.

Had to pull up all my spinach, 4+ pounds. Starting to bolt and also attacked by leaf miner.

Some of you may remember my March 26 post, when I bumped up my Shanghai bok choy. I had some pots with single plant, some with 2 plants, others with 3 or more plants. I harvested the outer plants of the muli-plants clump allowing the others more space to grow (extending my harvest without having to do succession planting).

Transplanted cucumbers, butternut squash, blue hubbard, beets, onions and scallions. Must get the other plants in the garden this week or next the latest. Also put in some annuals. Gardens looking good but would be better if the weeds were not so happy.

Some critters have exotic taste, eating my white Chinese celery but left the green ones alone, both planted in the same location. The white variety is more difficult to germinate (slow and very poor germination) is also a slower grower.

Photo at right on the veg stem is another one the many garden critters (slugs) I have to deal with. For a better view, click on photo to enlarge.

I’ve noticed that the slugs love my Fun Jen over the other Asian greens in the bed. It makes a good trap crop. Too bad I want to eat it. I think they like it because it is more mild than the others. I wonder if your celery is like that.

my fig tree, planted this year from a container has a few baby figs on it too. so excited! I’ve had a bit of leaf miner damage on greens this year but they seem mostly to just be infecting older leaves; haven’t noticed any on the newest leaves. Have also found some small green caterpillars.

I love harvest mondays! I was just thinking the same thing about cleaning garden veg yesterday as I sorted through a pile of lettuce from the garden. Worth the trouble, though! I like your bok choy strategy- I will try it in the fall (getting too hot for brassicas here).

congrats on your first strawberry. Remarkable self restraint to photograph it first. I have no self control and just pop them in my mouth. Looks like your fig tree is doing well, and that you had a great harvest.

Hello Lou,
It took a great deal of self restraint. I am really happy with my figs. No so with my Asian pears, one has zero fruit the other is still self thinning, if this activity does not stop I will also have zero fruit, will see.

Hello Alyssa,
Thanks, I have to bring my fig tree into the garage to overwinter and roll it out in the spring, it is a pain but worth it, the tree ripen figs are so sweet, if all goes well, I will have extra for the freezer.

That first strawberry of the season is so special isn’t it. Love your fig tree to, I find figs so generous so quickly. though it helps that my supply comes from my neighbour’s tree so I don’t have to look after it.

Norma, we were talking about you at the dinner table tonight. I made a beef and brocolli stir fry using the same principles as your asparagus and shrimp stir fry. My 6-year old daughter said it tasted like it was from a restaurant and so I told her the recipe was from Norma, a blogging friend who also teaches cooking classes. Then she said: “Can I go to one of her classes?” I said only if I could come too!

Hello P and P,
Your daughter is so sweet, tell her she can come to my cooking class anytime. Isn’t it cool to have just one recipe, make a few changes and an entirely different dish appears. Feel free to post your new creation.

A great selection of veggies harvested this week Norma and your first strawberry! hope its the first of many many more………………….
Fig tree looks so healthy and large, it seems to be very happy in the pot (didn’t think they would do well it a pot) do you give it extra liquid feed?

Hello Andrea,
I hope it is the first of many more too, but I keep seeing flocks of bird in the garden. Yes, I need to give the fig extra fertilizer, lime and plenty of water. This fall I will also need to prune the roots and repot with new potting mix.

I’ve come to accept all the bugs in our produce, although I still resent how much they eat! Still, it’s the price we pay for growing organically! 🙂 And yes, it does take a lot longer to wash homegrown!

Congrats (she says with some envy 🙂 ) on your first strawberry! I love your shot of it…it almost looks like a painting or illustration. Looks like your figs are coming along very nicely. Seems like there is an unusually large amount of veggie eating critters this year. I don’t have a single plant without a hole in it.

What a gorgeous strawberry! I once had wild strawberries on my balcony (two years ago) and I remember I cherished every single one like a jewel (same with cherry tomatoes). I suppose it was like this also because I have such a restricted space.
We easily forget how real, healthiest vegetables are demanding when it comes to cleaning, removing the insects etc.. Even the organic ones have organics products which protect them from bugs. They are also quite clean. The only “dirty” organic vegetables I buy are potatoes. There is always a choice between cleaned and dirty ones. The latter keep much much longer of course.
I’m looking forward to see your figs!

Yeah it does take a long time to clean home-grown veggies compare with the store-bought one. But the taste of home-grown veggies like a dish from heaven compare with the tasteless store-bought ones ;). How long does the fig takes to ripe? Your harvest basket won’t be enough for next harvest picking I reckon. You need to bring extra basket.

Hello Charles,
It was annoying and time consuming but worth the effort.
Behind the fig tree is an oak leaf hydrangea, will post photos when it blooms. I posted photos of my tree peonies today and some of my froggies on 5/14, did you see that Harvest Monday’s post?